Guide on how to setup your PC for Online Training

In the course of the training you will be working on a remote training server. In order to connect your workstation/PC with this server please read this guide carefully.

NOTE for network administrators: No incoming ports on your firewall have to be opened. The attendees will be establishing outgoing connections via SSH (port 22) tunnels to the remote training server.

Prerequisites

Before the training commences the teacher will provide you with:

• a user name and a password. The user name is usually something like "training2", "training3" etc.
• the IP of the remote training server like 45.154.144.35.

Windows

Install the SSH client Putty from https://www.putty.org/ . It is a standalone executable (*.exe) file which you can save to your Desktop.

Linux

Install a VNC viewer like Tiger VNC or the remote desktop client Remmina. Both should come with mayor Linux distros.

Set up the tunnels

Working on a remote server in graphical mode is based on the VNC, noVNC or RDP protocol. They use the port numbers 5901, 5801 or 3389 respectively. Whatever protocol you will be using, it must be tunneled from your location to the location of the training server. In our case we will setup a tunnel for each protocol. With Linux you don't need RDP. The protocol for the tunnel is SSH (port 22). So each protocol mentioned above will be wrapped in SSH.

Windows

Start Putty and do the setup as depicted in the follwing screenshots. In section Session enter in the red circled field the IP (given to you by the teacher) of the remote training server.

Go to section Connection/SSH/Tunnels and setup the three tunnels:

Type in field "Source port": 127.0.0.2:3389
Type in field "Destination": localhost:3389

Go back to section Session and save the session as Training.

Click "open". A console window opens. Enter your username and password.

Now you have three tunnels ready: One for RDP, one for VNC and a third for noVNC. Leave the console window open. Once you close it, the connection with the remote server will be cut !

Linux

The tunnel for VNC

Open a terminal as a regular non-root user and type these commands which specify:

• the user name (e.g. training2),
• the IP of the remote training server

$ ssh -L 5901:localhost:5901 training2@45.154.144.35

Now you are asked to login. Enter your username and password (as given by the teacher).

The tunnel for noVNC

Open a terminal as a regular non-root user and type these commands which specify:

• the user name (e.g. training2),
• the IP of the remote training server

$ ssh -L 5801:localhost:5801 training2@45.154.144.35

Now you are asked to login. Enter your username and password (as given by the teacher).

Starting the remote session

Operating system independed via webbrowser

Start a webbrowser like Firefox or Chromium and enter this web address: http://localhost:5801/

• Login with your username and password:

• The session at the remote server opens:

You are now ready for the training !

Windows

Via RDP client

• Start the remote desktop client. It is built in in Windows.
• Enter the computer address 127.0.0.2:3389 :

• Login with your username and password:

• The session at the remote server opens:

You are now ready for the training !

Via VNC viewer

• Start the VNC viewer:

• Disable TLS:

• Login with your username and password:

• The session at the remote server opens:

You are now ready for the training !

Linux

Via VNC viewer

Same as with Windows. See above.

Closing the remote session

On the remote desktop, in the taskbar click Menu, logout:

Disconect from the remote server

In the remaining console window(s) enter the command

$ exit

Now the tunnel does not exist any more. You are no longer connected with the remote training server.